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Communities in West Virginia offer residents a welcoming atmosphere, affordable cost of living, and a strong sense of connection to nature and neighbors alike. From charming small towns to vibrant cities like Charleston and Morgantown, West Virginia communities provide friendly neighborhoods, excellent schools, and access to outdoor recreation right at your doorstep. Residents enjoy a slower pace of life, surrounded by the state’s beautiful mountains, rivers, and forests, as well as rich local culture, historic sites, and community events that bring people together.

 

With safe streets, local businesses, and a true spirit of Appalachian hospitality, living in West Virginia communities means enjoying a high quality of life and a supportive, tight-knit environment where everyone feels at home. Be sure to visit our Communities Travel Guide for information about communities in West Virginia.

Students walk past historic Woodburn Hall on the West Virginia University campus in Morgantown. WVU has launched a program that allows qualifying high school seniors in Kanawha and Monongalia counties to be admitted without completing a traditional application.
Communities

WVU will automatically admit some high school seniors in two West Virginia counties

by David Sibray

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University will automatically admit qualifying high school seniors in two West Virginia counties under a new program that eliminates the traditional college application and application fee. This year, the offer is limited to seniors in Kanawha and Monongalia counties with at least a 3.8 cumulative grade-point average who meet the … Read more

Historic buildings line the railroad at Thurmond in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. A proposed New River Gorge Artisan Corridor would seek to connect preservation and adaptive reuse here with arts, workforce development, recreation and economic opportunities in communities from Hinton to Montgomery. (Photo David Sibray)
Communities

New plan imagines a different future for communities of the New River Gorge

by Clyde Craig

PRINCE, W.Va. —  A sweeping new proposal would link communities throughout the New River Gorge region through arts, recreation, preservation, and business development, aiming to keep more of the economic benefits the gorge and its national park generate within surrounding communities. Called the “New River Gorge Artisan Corridor,” the proposal would extend through communities from … Read more

Units 1 and 2 of the John E. Amos Power Plant in Putnam County, West Virginia. State utility regulators are considering proposed rules governing generating capacity, plant operations and fuel supplies. (Photo by Tikilucas/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Communities

West Virginia power plant rules headed for public hearing

by Clyde Craig

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia regulators are inviting the public to comment this month on rules proposed to govern how electric utilities maintain and use generating plants under a law approved by the Legislature in 2025. The Public Service Commission of West Virginia publicized the Sept. 28 hearing Tuesday as part of its implementation of … Read more

Gov. Patrick Morrisey announces the first awards from West Virginia’s Rural Health Transformation Program at Chesapeake Healthcare Center. Spotted Owl Healthcare Organization received $1.17 million through the program in partnership with the center. (Courtesy photo)
Communities

Small West Virginia nonprofit lands $1.17 million to expand workplace healthcare

by Clyde Craig

CHESAPEAKE, W.Va. — A West Virginia nonprofit that provides community exercise, nutrition, and recovery programs has been awarded $1.17 million to bring healthcare services closer to workers as the state begins distributing nearly $200 million in federal rural-health funding. Spotted Owl Healthcare Organization, based in Dunbar, received $1.174 million through West Virginia’s Rural Health Transformation … Read more

Two properties proposed for inclusion in an expanded historic district stand along a residential street in Richwood, West Virginia. The proposed expansion would extend the existing downtown district into nearby residential areas.
Communities

Richwood could double historic district at gateway to Monongahela National Forest

by David Sibray

RICHWOOD, W.Va. — A historic district in this Nicholas County mountain town could roughly double in size, encompassing distinctive homes, churches, and other landmarks as preservationists work to protect the character of a community at the western gateway to the Monongahela National Forest. The proposed expansion would extend the existing Downtown Richwood Historic District eastward … Read more

A model walks the runway during a fashion show. A West Virginia University researcher says the rise of weight-loss medications is coinciding with a retreat from size inclusivity in the fashion industry. (Photo by Yogendra Singh/Unsplash)
Communities

Weight-loss drugs are changing American bodies; Fashion may be changing with them

by Bianca Bosworth

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — As weight-loss medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy reshape the bodies of millions of Americans, their influence may be reaching beyond doctors’ offices and into closets, fashion studios and clothing stores. A West Virginia University fashion researcher says the rapid rise of the medications coincides with a retreat from the body-size inclusivity … Read more

A bull elk stands in the southern West Virginia coalfields, where the state's restored elk population is beginning to roam farther from its established range. (Photo: W.Va. Dept. of Commerce)
Communities

West Virginia elk are roaming farther as restored herd grows

by Will Reedy

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s restored elk are beginning to roam farther from the southern coalfields where they were reintroduced, even as the state prepares to welcome visitors for another season of guided elk-viewing tours. The W.Va. Division of Natural Resources announced Sunday that tickets are available for its 2026 Elk Management Tours, which begin Sept. … Read more